Sports stats



OHL Flint Firebirds

Firebirds Post Third Home Victory in Last Five Games

March 7, 2019 - Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
Flint Firebirds News Release


Flint, Mich. - Flint tallied another two points in Wednesday's 6-4 home victory against the Owen Sound Attack at the Dort Federal Credit Union Event Center. It was the Firebirds' third home win in their past five games in Flint. Ty Dellandrea (Dallas Stars) earned second-star honors after a three-point night (1G, 2A) for Flint to total 60 points on the season, surpassing his previous career season-high of 59 points. Ethan Keppen logged the empty-netter in the final minute to put the game out of reach for the visitors. Emmet Pierce was named the game's 'First Star' for scoring the game-winning goal in the third period. Kyle Harris (7), Jacob Winterton (11) and Hunter Holmes (9) also found the back of the net for the Firebirds. Luke Cavallin made 31 saves on 35 shots en-route to his sixth win of the season. Maksim Sushko (2G) and Barret Kirwin (2A) each had two-point nights to lead the Attack.

Flint was first to light the lamp at 4:47 of the first period. Evan Vierling won the offensive draw back to Kyle Harris at the wall. Harris dished the puck back to Jack Phibbs at the left point. Phibbs fired the puck on net, and goaltender Andrew MacLean made the left-pad kick-save before Harris attacked the net and pounced on the loose puck to bang home the rebound. Flint led 1-0 after 20 minutes and also led in first-period shots 13 - 8.

The Attack tied the score at 6:59 of the second period. Kaleb Pearson passed between the circles to Barret Kirwin perched to Luke Cavallin's right. Kirwin skated across the goal mouth with patience before lifting a backhander that Cavallin saved. Kirwin attempted a second shot on his own rebound with a forehand, but Cavallin stopped it again. The second rebound found Maksim Sushko on the doorstep for a redirection that resulted in his 17th of the season.

Jacob Winterton scored his 11th of the season shorthanded at 8:35 of the middle frame. Ty Dellandrea (Dallas Stars) emerged on a two-on-one with Winterton. Dellandrea made a skilled tape-to-tape pass to Winterton at the left circle. Winterton showed patience before scoring on a snap-shot short side.

At 11:10 of the middle frame, Aidan Dudas (Philadelphia Flyers) tied the game at two with his 25th tally of the campaign. He made a move around a Flint defender in the slot. As he was falling to the ice, he managed a wrist-shot that found its way under Cavallin on a highlight-reel type goal. Mark Woolley picked up the solo assist.

With 3:58 remaining in period two and the teams skating four-on-four, Flint Captain Ty Dellandrea skated into the offensive zone one-on-one with an Owen Sound defender. Dellandrea deked around the defense to the left side of the goal before shifting the puck back to the right side and buried from point-blank-range for his 21st of the season. Kyle Harris and Riley McCourt earned the assists on the marker.

The Firebirds led 3 - 2 after 40 minutes. Second-period shots were 15 -10 to the Attack's advantage for an even 23 shots-per-team.

The teams traded goals in the third period. Hunter Holmes converted on a highlight-reel pass from Evan Vierling at 2:56. At 7:15, Kirwin stymied a clearing attempt by the 'Birds and fired on Cavallin from between the hash marks. The puck was deflected in front by Griffin Wilson who was credited with his fifth of the campaign. At 8:05, Emmet Pierce scored his sixth of the season to put Flint ahead by two. Riley McCourt and Cody Morgan drew the assists. Just 28 seconds later, defenseman Brady Lyle cut Owen Sound's deficit to a single goal for Owen Sound, scoring his 10th of the season. Adam McMaster was given the only assist.

The Attack used an extra attacker in the final 90 seconds, pulling MacLean to the bench. They also used their one timeout with 1:06 remaining on the game clock. Then, Ty Dellandrea carried into the Attack zone and made the unselfish pass to Ethan Keppen for a tap-in. The goal was Keppen's 26th of the season and Jack Wismer earned the second assist.

Final shots-on-goal were even at 35 per side. Flint's power play came up empty on two chances, but the penalty-kill found success all three times it was tested.

Next up for Flint, the Firebirds will face-off against the London Knights this Friday night at the Budweiser Gardens. Puck drop is set for 7:30 p.m. for an expected sell-out crowd of 9,046 fans. The game will be broadcast live on the radio throughout Flint & Mid-Michigan on US 103.1 FM and online at www.us103.com. The game will also be broadcast live on channel 13 / 510 (HD) for Rogers TV cable subscribers in London. In addition, the game will be televised live province-wide across Ontario on the OHL Action Pak on channel 461 for Rogers TV cable subscribers and channel 492 for Cogeco TV cable subscribers.

Next Home Game:

The Firebirds will return home this Saturday to host the Windsor Spitfires at the Dort Federal Event Center at 7 p.m. (ET).

Saturday is Overager Night, Whaley Night and Scout Night! The Firebirds' two "Overagers," Hakon Nilsen and Emanuel Vella will be honored prior to the game. In the OHL, an overager is a player that begins the season at 20 years of age. A team is only allowed to have three overage players on their roster after the trade deadline in January, which is their final allowed season in the OHL. Also, all scouts in attendance receive the Firebirds' official 'scout patch.'

In addition, the Firebirds are teaming up with the Whaley Children's Center (WCC) for a donation drive where fans can bring in five or more personal hygiene items to receive a complimentary Silver Level ticket, presented by Genesee Packaging, Inc. and Landaal Packaging and sponsored by Corrigan Moving Systems, Big John Steak & Onion, and Oasis Outsourcing. Proceeds from the Firebirds' gameday 50-50 raffle will be donated to WCC.

The Whaley Children's Center is a private agency that focuses on caring for children and families in crisis and has a great need for a variety of personal hygiene products including antibiotic cream, band-aids, Chapstick, children's chewable Motrin/Tylenol/Pepto-Bismol, disposable cleaning wipes, ethnic hair care products, feminine hygiene products, first aid kits, hair brushes, heat packs, laundry soap & scent boosters, liquid body wash, lotion (hypoallergenic), Nair, paper towel, overnight pads, toilet paper, undergarments, twin XL bedding, etc.

Early bird ticket packages for the Flint Firebirds' 2019-20 OHL season are on sale now. A $50 deposit reserves your seat for next season! The special early bird price deadline is Tuesday, April 30th and fans can secure their seats for next season at the Dort Federal Event Center Box Office from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday thru Friday. For additional pricing and ticket information, fans can call the box office at (810) 744-0580 or email mary@dorteventcenter.com.

Single game tickets for all Firebirds games are $12 / Bronze, $16 / Silver, $20 / Gold and $26 / VIP seating (Seating Chart). All seats are reserved / assigned seating. Fans can purchase tickets by calling (810) 744-0580, in-person at the Dort Federal Event Center Box Office or online at ticketmaster.com.

Check out the Flint Firebirds Statistics



Ontario Hockey League Stories from March 7, 2019


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central